News

The USD 470 Board of Education has selected Will Pfannenstiel as the next superintendent of Arkansas City Public Schools. Pfannenstiel, currently the district's assistant superintendent for business and operations, has accepted the position. Formal approval of his contract is expected during Monday evening's board meeting. Pfannenstiel joined USD 470 in 2006 as assistant principal at Arkansas City High School and later served as principal at Arkansas City Middle School. He has more than 20 years of experience in education, including earlier work as a teacher and coach. Board President Jon Oak said Pfannenstiel's character and leadership stood out during the search [...]

Wichita mayor Lily Wu reflected on lessons learned from the failed sales-tax election and relayed a message centered around rebuilding the public's trust with city government during Sunday's State of the City address, She called the lead-up to the 1% sales tax proposal "one of the most significant policy debates in recent memory" before doubling down on regrets she expressed over her initial approval of the March 3 special election. "My vote for the special election, alongside the Council in a 7-0 decision, was a mistake," Wu said Sunday at Century II, echoing comments she made via social media on the [...]

The Harvey County District Court could soon move to Walton for three years. County Administrator Kevin Frymire provided more information about county remodel plans during a meeting with the Newton Board of Education on Monday. The county is looking at using the Walton Rural Life Center to house the courts, as well as attached staff and court services. “We’ve been to several places and haven’t marked them all off yet, but the Walton school came out as a potential option for us,” he said. “When I heard that, the first words out of my mouth were ‘This is a great idea.’” [...]

StartUp Hutch announced Monday that it will launch a new Housing Entrepreneurship Program, supported by a $50,000 grant from the Hutchinson Community Foundation. The two-year pilot program’s purpose is to strengthen the local contractor and skilled trades pipeline and thereby support housing development in Hutchinson and Reno County. A shortage of local contractors, subcontractors, and skilled trades entrepreneurs is a critical gap in the community’s housing ecosystem, according to the announcement. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The robotic dogs are different than the robots the department already uses. “These robotic systems provide capabilities that address current operational gaps, including the ability to open and close doors, navigate stairs, and move over uneven terrain and obstacles commonly encountered in real-world environments,” Wichita Police capt. Aaron Moses said in an email. “These capabilities allow officers to manage high-risk incidents more safely and reduce risk to both the public and responding personnel.” Read more: Wichita Eagle

Sedgwick County’s siren system is undergoing a six-year improvement, and currently, two different system communicate with the sirens. The devices are split into zones so sirens can target various parts of the county. In this week’s case, the wrong zone was activated. “Because the city of Mulvane falls in both counties and the programming challenges we have with two systems, it did activate our zone in the southeastern part of the county,” ... When a tornado warning is issued, it’s for a specific area. In weather broadcasts, the area under a warning will appear as a polygon. That polygon is issued [...]

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The leading proposals this year are similar to the bills and resolutions that failed just a year ago. But lawmakers are more optimistic that relief will come this time around. Here are the two leading proposals: Constitutional amendment to cap valuation increases, and Spending caps on local governments. Read more: Johnson County Post

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.